Heaven Amid Hell
by unicorn-skydancer08
Summary: People often wonder why there is so much bad in the world, and why God permits it to happen. The fact is, God knows so much, and we know so little.


**HEAVEN AMID HELL  
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_I felt inspired to write this little essay. Naturally, it was impossible to resist. Whether you believe in God or not, I have as much a right to speak up as you do. Whether or not you agree with me is entirely up to you._

_I suggest you read this thing at least once, from the beginning to the end, before you form a legitimate opinion of it. What you're about to read comes from my heart. I mean every single word of it.  
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><p><strong>Essay<strong>** © unicorn-skydancer08**

_**All rights reserved. **_

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><p>Since the start of time, people have frequently questioned why there is so much misery in the world, why God permits so much bad to happen. "If God loves us so much," they say, "He would never have allowed this to happen in the first place." Many people become angry and resentful toward God because of this notion; they allow their bitterness to fester like an infection that settles in an untreated wound.<p>

It is true that God does have the power to prevent misfortune, yet He sees the big picture, and knows so much more than we do. He is wise enough to understand that to forestall adversity at every turn would be unwise.

If God stopped every bad thing from ever happening to us, then what is life all about? If life was always peaches and cream, how can we truly learn and grow?

True happiness does not stem from a world where everything is perfect and life has no problems. Rather, the road to true happiness is long and often rough, and strewn with seeds of suffering. Yet along with the storms of hardship come the beautiful gardens of life and wisdom. Along with the bitter chill of winter comes the sweet warmth of spring.

Even in the longest and the darkest of storms, there is always that stream of golden light at the other end; the trouble is that we get too caught up in the storm to seek out the light.

God is more aware of us than we realize. He does not take pleasure in our suffering, just as a mother takes no pleasure in her children's suffering. It hurts God to see us hurting. He is not the one who turns His back on us; we're the ones who turn our backs on Him. He is always willing to help us, but we must be willing to reach out and accept that help.

Trials help mold our character. Our hearts become more tender; we're more sympathetic and loving to those around us. We learn to value what we have. Above all else, we learn to trust God, to have faith in Him and trust that He knows what He's doing.

Without trials, we would get complacent; we would see no need for God in our lives. Therefore, trials also serve as a sort of wake-up call.

While we may have no control over what happens in our lives, we certainly have control over how we react. We can choose to either sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, or we can choose to make the most of it. One excellent remedy for sorrow is service. When we take some time to focus on someone else's needs, rather than just our own, we all benefit from it. There is also great comfort to be found in the arms of a friend. A friend can make the seemingly intolerable load much easier to bear.

No one is exempt from a life of tribulation. Even Jesus Christ, the greatest of us all, the most perfect man who has ever or will ever dwell on this earth, suffered dearly. He was _"a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief"_. In the garden of Gethsemane, He suffered for our sorrows and sicknesses as well as our sins. He suffered every last bit of pain for every single one of us. Therefore, He has a perfect knowledge of what we go through.

No matter how bad we may think we have it, we'll never have it as bad as Jesus did.

God _does_ love us. God _does_ care. There is nothing that is beyond His control, no wound that He cannot heal. We must trust Him, regardless of what happens to us. We must be patient, and learn to endure. God will watch over us, and He will give us the strength when we don't have it ourselves. As Jesus said in one of his most famous sermons: _"Come__ unto__ me,__ all__ ye that labour__ and__ are heavy laden__, and I__ will give__ you__ rest__.__ Take__ my__ yoke__ upon__ you,__ and__ learn__ of__ me;__ for__ I am__ meek__ and__ lowly__ in heart:__ and__ ye shall find__ rest__ unto your__ souls.__ For__ my__ yoke__ is easy,__ and__ my__ burden__ is__ light."_


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